A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 166 The Wind!
"What a terrible headline!"

While having breakfast with Liang Yongqi in the hotel suite, Lin Jianlu saw this newspaper.

He was a regular at the hotel, often booking rooms for several days at a time, which attracted a lot of attention to the hotel. Therefore, the newspapers delivered to his room in the morning were specially selected, including as many news articles about him as possible—however, he would only glance at them and then toss them aside.

Not worth a second glance.

Just as I was picking up the next copy, Leung Wing-ki said, "I heard from Sister Ge that she received news from America that many music radio stations there are praising your album. They're raving about it!"

Lin Jianlu looked up at her, smiled and hummed in agreement, but offered no further comment.

Lin Jianlu has never met Liang Yongqi in ten or twenty years and doesn't know what kind of person she will be. However, she has known her for almost a year and has the right to speak about what kind of girl she is in this year. After being immersed in the entertainment industry for more than a year, she has started to have a lot of cunning, but she has been well protected. So, strictly speaking, she is still a bit naive and childish.

I was recently blown away by this English album; she suddenly became much more well-behaved. However, when it comes to intelligence, wit, and understanding people, she is still far behind the level of actresses like Brigitte Lin and Chen Hong.

When Lin Jianlu criticized the newspaper headlines, he wasn't just criticizing the headlines themselves.
What annoys him is the relentless infiltration of Hong Kong paparazzi!
He kept a low profile when his plane landed in Hong Kong. Especially after being photographed in New York before, he was even more careful now that he was in Hong Kong. He didn't notice anyone following him. He went out to look at a house and was inexplicably followed again and photographed from a distance.

Fortunately, they were far away. Although I, Brigitte Lin, and Leung Wing-ki were all framed in the photo, Brigitte Lin didn't seem to have any issues. She had been overweight before, successfully lost weight in the latter half of last year, and then got pregnant this year. Her weight management got a little out of control, and she started to have some extra fat. So, although her belly was showing, it wasn't very obvious. The Hong Kong paparazzi probably didn't think she was pregnant, so she escaped unscathed. However, the potential problems are clear.

Lin Jianlu is not afraid of anyone knowing that he got Brigitte Lin pregnant, including Su Huilun and Chen Shuhua. They are his children, he acknowledges them, and he is not afraid to make it public. His reputation is already bad, so what if it gets worse? It won't stop him from selling albums in Europe and America.

However... if he can hide, he is still very willing to hide.

In his view, these private family matters had nothing to do with being afraid; it was simply that he didn't want others to know.

However, Brigitte Lin is now very aware of her movements, and actually flew over from the capital two days in advance to wait for her in Hong Kong—it seems there's nothing that can be done about her!
Actually, she has many jobs in the capital!

After dinner, while I continued reading the newspaper, Liang Yongqi surprisingly made me a cup of tea and brought it to me.

That's good. Lin Jianlu smiled and said "thank you" to her. She seemed particularly happy. Then she went into the bedroom to tidy up her clothes, such as torn stockings and sexy panties. She didn't want Lin Qingxia to see them, and she didn't want the hotel cleaning staff to see them either.

Before she could finish tidying up, there was a knock at the door. She rushed out to open it and saw Ge Fuhong and Lin Qingxia entering one after the other. "Good morning, Sister Ge!... Hello!"

Ge Fuhong nodded at her with a smile, looking like she was in a good mood.

Lin Qingxia could only manage a stiff smile, looking guilty and timid, "Hello Gigi!"

Lin Jianlu was still reading the newspaper with her legs crossed when she looked up and saw the two of them walking over. She smiled and waved the newspaper, "Not a single good word! It's all mockery!"

Ge Fuhong laughed, "It's okay! The Billboard Hot 100 chart from America will be out in an hour. The people from Colombia told Aijia that there should be five to seven songs on the chart. 'Baby' is very likely to make it into the top ten, and it's guaranteed to be in the top three next week! Ah Lu, you're going to be famous!"

Lin Jianlu hummed in response, then tossed the newspaper aside.

He looked up at Brigitte Lin.

Lin Qingxia pursed her lips, walked over, and scooted closer to the single sofa where Lin Jianlu was sitting. She managed to squeeze in a little bit, then pounced on him, hugging his waist. Although she was over forty years old and very dashing on the big screen, she was quite adept at acting coquettish in real life. "Otherwise, I should go back to the capital!"

Hmm... just from that one sentence, you can tell that she understands exactly what Lin Jianlu is thinking.

Lin Jianlu didn't want the media to know too much about her private affairs, which was even unrelated to the fact that getting several female celebrities pregnant at the same time would be a huge scandal and cause a huge uproar if it got out.

As a result, Su Huilun and Chen Shuhua, who were both at the height of their popularity, suddenly disappeared from the media.

They were attended to by dedicated housekeepers and servants, and stayed in their large villas to rest and prepare for pregnancy, rarely going out.

As a result, Brigitte Lin was about twenty days later than the other two, and she also began to pay attention to protecting her whereabouts. She was originally hiding well in the capital, but suddenly took it upon herself to fly back to Hong Kong.

Lin Jianlu was already a little unhappy when she saw her after landing, and then she was photographed while looking at villas yesterday.

Lin Qingxia herself was well aware of the situation.

However, at this moment, Lin Jianlu lowered his head, touched her slightly protruding belly, and spoke in a calm tone, "Don't do it again!"—You can come to Hong Kong, you can live in the capital, or you can go to New York. You have freedom, but you are carrying my child in your belly. Wherever you go, the person you ultimately come to is me. So before you go, you really need to say hello to me and ask first!
"Okay! I'll buy a plane ticket and go back today."

"No need! You're already back. Gigi is too young and doesn't know how to do many things. I'm going to record at Brother Dayou's music factory for the next few days, so I won't be able to help. Sister Ge will help you tidy up that house so you can stay there next time you come."

Lin Qingxia immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her tone noticeably rising, "Okay! I'll do it!"

As the two were talking, Ge Fuhong turned slightly to the side and looked away.

Liang Yongqi stared intently, seemingly lost in thought, when she suddenly spoke up, "I'll go help Sister Qingxia too!"

Upon hearing this, not only Brigitte Lin, but even Lin Chien-lu and Ge Fu-hung were somewhat surprised.

Lin Jianlu quickly smiled and waved to her. She walked over with a smile, and Lin Jianlu pulled her onto his lap. Then, Lin Jianlu looked at her with affection, his hand stroking her slender waist. "Great! It's best if you're willing to help! Once you've settled in, you can move in too!"

"Great! That's exactly what I think!"

…………

Upon arriving at Luo Dayou's music factory, I saw Wang Fei as soon as I entered.

Lin Jianlu was very surprised.

Wang Fei called last night because she saw the newspaper report that Lin Jianlu was here and wanted to meet. Lin Jianlu arranged to meet her tonight because she had to record during the day—she really didn't expect her to come to the music factory. After all, she and Luo Dayou have a grudge!

Back then, she released two albums, but they didn't do very well. Being a person with her own principles, she didn't want to continue making albums according to the direction planned by Cinepoly Records. Cinepoly Records was furious and wanted to blacklist her! Her manager at the time thought she was finished, so without even saying goodbye, he sold her record contract to Lo Ta-yu's Music Factory. Wang Fei then went to talk to Lo Ta-yu, who, being a man of strong character, disagreed with her idea. The two argued, and Lo Ta-yu flew into a rage, tearing up her management contract on the spot and telling her to get out!
Later... as I said before, Wang Fei's later success was largely due to her talent and hard work, but it was also closely related to her music teacher! In short, someone stepped in for her, barely managed to clean up the mess, and contacted a new agent for her. The new agent then coordinated with Cinepoly Records and eventually managed to get her a new contract, allowing her to experiment with her own ideas about making music, which led to what happened later.

But the grudge she had against Luo Dayou's side has always remained.

Lin Jianlu entered the room, shook hands and hugged Luo Dayou, exchanged brief pleasantries, and then turned to look at Wang Fei, "What are you doing here?"

Wang Fei now looks like she has fully recovered. If I remember correctly, her daughter was born in 1997, so she is probably a little over 100 days old now. Her complexion looks rosy and radiant, as if she has returned to the state before she was pregnant.

"I came to apologize to Brother Dayou! And I also came to see you!"

"whispering sound!"

Lin Jianlu turned to look at Luo Dayou—this was something he had always planned to do, and he had spoken to both sides. He knew Luo Dayou well, and he also knew Wang Fei well. As a middleman, they were both musicians, friends on both sides, and there was no real grudge between them. They could just laugh it off and let bygones be bygones!
But he's been too busy to get around to it.

Luo Da shrugged again, "It's all in the past. Fei called me earlier, and I said okay, let's just let bygones be bygones!" —Hey! I missed out on a great opportunity!

But it was a good thing after all; Lin Jianlu was ultimately happy.

Luo Da is a musician and senior whom he greatly respects, and Wang Fei and Dou Wei are both his good friends. Resolving this matter will settle a feud between them, which is a meritorious act!

Merit points +1 +1 +1... that kind of thing.

The atmosphere lightened, and he turned to Wang Fei and asked, "Where's Dou Wei?"

As a result, Wang Fei said, "I've found my way! I listened to your new album all night long, and the next morning I took a flight back to the capital. He said he's realized something and wants to go back to write songs!"
Luo Da laughed heartily again, but Lin Jianlu found it unbelievable.

Then he asked, "Have you breastfed yet?"

Wang Fei laughed and said, "None of your business!"

…………

Music Factory is a subsidiary label jointly established by Rock Records and Lo Ta-yu. Many Hong Kong artists and singers under Rock Records come here to record albums.

About a year or two ago, this place was gradually declining because Luo Da himself became discouraged, believing that he was past his prime and had lost his keen sense of the music market. So, Music Factory had in fact degenerated into a simple recording studio.

However, in the last year or two, as Jonathan Lee and Lin Yi-lian have increasingly focused their careers on Hong Kong, including Jonathan Lee's strong recommendation that Rock Records sign Karen Mok, Music Factory has begun to recover its vitality.

When Lin Jianlu came to record her new song at this time, it felt even more lively than last year.

We sat down and chatted for a while, mainly to answer some questions from Wang Fei and Luo Dayou, and to hear their thoughts and... well, praise—it's hard to say what laymen think, as they are greatly influenced by various non-musical factors, especially Hong Kong and Taiwan fans, many of whom don't accept it. But insiders like Luo Dayou and Wang Fei clearly have high praise for Lin Jianlu's English album!

As we chatted, it got close to noon, and a group of new and old friends arrived one after another.

For a record company, if a singer can arrive before noon, they are already considered extremely dedicated and hardworking.

Lee Tsung-sheng, Lin Yi-lien, and Karen Mok are all old friends.

It's quite rare to see Aaron Kwok here; he said he's also recording a new song.

I've known Aaron Kwok for almost a year now, but our relationship has always been so-so. We basically only meet at big events and never meet up in private. However, this time when we met, I felt that his attitude had changed. I could tell from his tone of voice that he seemed to be in a good mood all of a sudden.

"It's normal for it not to sell well, but sales don't affect the quality of your album! Honestly, it's an amazing album! I listen to a lot of Western music every year, but now I think that even those super popular songs that sell ten or twenty million copies aren't any better than your album! I admire you! As soon as I heard it, I told my manager, 'Luhan is incredible, his mix of styles is fantastic!'"

That's quite rare.

As for Lin Jianlu's personality, as long as the other party's character is not seriously flawed and they are willing to be close to him, he is always willing to reciprocate with kindness—even without judging based on the other party's ability or popularity.

However... of course, although Hong Kong is already the most Westernized region in Asia and the region with the closest ties to the Western world, information is still relatively limited.

Therefore, without extensive promotion, people in Hong Kong were unaware that "21," an English album, was fundamentally different from the many English albums made by Hong Kong and Taiwanese singers in the past. While a group of experts were extending goodwill, expressing approval and high praise, or offering comfort and reassurance that sales figures could not negate the album's excellence, "21" had already begun to take off in much of the Western world, including America, Canada, the UK, and France.

Before heading out to Music Factory, I received a call from Sylvia Chang. At 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Billboard's Top 100 was released on time. "21" had already achieved remarkable results and reputation without large-scale promotion or publicity—a huge hit was inevitable in the eyes of many insiders.

Of course, Lin Jianlu didn't intend to explain or boast about anything.

Let's wait for news!

The wind will definitely blow!
…………

They chatted, helped someone read sheet music, and listened to the new songs recently recorded by Lin Yilian, Karen Mok, and Aaron Kwok. Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. When the food they ordered arrived and everyone ate together, Lin Jianlu was surprised to find that Wang Fei hadn't left at all.

"Holy crap...you didn't leave?"

"Brother, I've been hanging around you the whole time, how could you say something like that!"

"Hahaha! Go back to breastfeeding, huh?!"

"none of your business!"

So she managed to see the sheet music for Lin Jianlu's new song.

In fact, the song hasn't even been recorded yet. All the sheet music, arrangements, and even the thoughts of the singers and songwriters are absolutely important assets that the record company must keep secret.

Don't say that Wang Fei is a singer from another record company. Even if she is a singer from our own company, we should try to keep it a secret as much as possible. However, rules are rules, and practice is practice.

With a large group of people reviewing the manuscript, how can you possibly isolate Wang Fei?
Should we still be friends?

Let's watch it together then—we're all such good friends, and our character has stood the test of time. Even if Lao Duan were here, he probably wouldn't have any objections.

Yes, Lin Jianlu's second album has a total of sixteen songs.

To be precise, it's actually fifteen songs. One of them is "Love Transfer," and Lin Jianlu plans to record the Cantonese version of "Under Mount Fuji" as well, to keep as a celebration version—his first Cantonese song. Although it won't take him much effort, it will certainly please his local Hong Kong fans. It's a win-win situation.

It's definitely a college diploma now, so the price will be adjusted. Zhang Aijia had already reached an agreement with Lao Duan beforehand.

For example, in Taiwan, the album "Cold to the End" (冷酷到底), with eleven songs, was priced at NT$180, which was in line with market prices. Moreover, it was the debut album of a new artist, so there was nothing to say. However, for this second Mandarin album, the price was suddenly much higher, going straight to a 15-song album, so the price had to be raised.

The same applies to Hong Kong albums. At HK$98 each, it's not exactly cheap. However, albums sold in Hong Kong and Taiwan are typically sold with a short-term strategy, usually around ten songs per album. That's why the price is kept under HK$100. Large albums with fifteen songs are almost nonexistent in the local market.

But Lin Jianlu didn't want to just follow the market trends.

He has no shortage of songs or works; what he lacks is time and energy.

Moreover, recording songs is quick and easy for him, but promoting them is extremely tedious and annoying.

So they cram more songs into an album and raise the price.

In Taiwan, the tentative price is set at NT$240. Old Duan even said that depending on the overall effect after recording, if the album is strong enough, they might consider setting it at NT$280. ​​In Hong Kong, they're considering a price of around HK$140 to HK$150. This kind of price adjustment based on album content is not common in the Chinese music scene, but it's the norm in the European and American record markets. Many singer-songwriters, in particular, generally prefer albums with sixteen or seventeen songs, so they certainly can't be priced the same as albums with ten or twelve songs.

Hmm, album playlist—

The song selections include "Fragrance of Flowers," "Jiangnan," "Free as the Wind," "Has Anyone Told You," "West Sea Love Song," "Betrayal Love Song," "Let's Rock Together," "Running," "East Wind Breaks," "Nocturne," "Love Before BC," "The Only One," "The First Time," "White Moonlight," and "Love Transfer," plus a Cantonese song, "Under Mount Fuji." It's still Lin Jianlu's old style of song selection—a hodgepodge.

A hodgepodge of styles, a hodgepodge of singers.

However, compared to his cautious approach as a newcomer with "Cold to the End" and his efforts to create works with precise market positioning, he was more confident with his second album. As a result, he was able to let loose more and did not choose a style similar to "Super Cool" anymore. Instead, he began to incorporate more of Jay Chou's works to increase the Jay Chou content.

For non-Chinese consumers in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, he no longer needs to rely on a Chinese album to reach them; he has a stronger English album to dominate this market!

This decision was, of course, based on his previous two albums: one was his own "Cold to the End," and the other was Chen Shuhua's "Chasing the Light," which he produced from start to finish. He had already gained a basic understanding of market tastes and also noticed that, after being immersed in the R&B style for the past year, the audience in the Chinese music scene seemed to be liking it more and more. So, for his new album, he decided to increase the amount of R&B in it.

Of course, if "21" can become a hit in Europe and America and even globally, and spread its influence back to the Chinese music scene, that would be even better. Aren't you all just worshipping foreign things? Look, my rap and R&B sell so well in Europe and America. Now I've specially made Chinese R&B and rap for you to listen to. Aren't you grateful?
"Ah Lu, you're a genius! I've said it many times, in front of many people, but I've never said it to your face. Now I'm going to say it, you are a true genius!"

After looking at the score, I don't know if I've even read half of it. The eldest brother, Luo Da, was very excited again. His words were tinged with an indescribable sense of emotion—a feeling of regret for a hero in his twilight years.

Everyone here is in the industry and a friend, familiar with Luo Dayou's experiences in recent years. Upon hearing this, they each had their own thoughts. Li Zongsheng patted his older brother's knee and said, "You're a genius too. No matter how awesome A-Lu is, she hasn't surpassed you! Cheer up and write songs!"

Luo Da laughed again, waved his hand and shook his head, "I'm old!"

…………

The sheet music has been circulated, and even without considering the sheet music itself, it is enough to convince a group of industry experts and veterans. Even if there are some doubtful or unfavorable things in the sheet music, given Lin Jianlu's current status in the industry, not many people would dare to argue against it. Not even Lao Duan would, let alone others.

Then let's get started on recording.

Luo Da was the host of the place and was familiar with the musicians in Hong Kong, so he quickly volunteered to help Lin Jianlu with the arrangements. At his level, making money and connections were no longer important. He was mainly excited by the prospect and increasingly admired Lin Jianlu's musical talent, so he took the initiative to help.

However, after he took over the task, Lin Jianlu chose a practice room to go in, and Wang Fei actually followed her in again. "Damn it, big sister, what's wrong with you today? Why do you keep following me?"

"Big brother, has the song you promised come out yet?"

Lin Jianlu was speechless for a moment, then said, "I only agreed to this two days ago, do you think I'm a god?"

"Yeah! Old Dou treats you like a god! You write songs so fast, you're famous in the industry, I'm really itching to write one... Give me one first!"

"Damn it! I despise you two!"

There was no other way, so I had to promise to write it for her when I got home that night, and that I would deliver one poem the next day.

She immediately cheered up, stopped dawdling, turned and left, showing no hesitation in saying, "If you need any backing vocals or anything, just let me know, I'll be there whenever you call!"

…………

That afternoon, while Lin Jianlu was still practicing singing, his personal manager from HSBC called to say that the mortgage loan for the property purchase was no problem at all, and even thoughtfully asked if he still needed a Thai baht loan—Lin Jianlu only hesitated slightly before accepting.

Actually, he was reluctant to get too involved, but things were just too easy. The bank had been so considerate in asking him questions, so why not take the opportunity to make money?

HSBC is a major international bank with many branches in Thailand. For them, obtaining a Thai baht mortgage loan is just a matter of transferring a document. Private managers are even happy to assist with such operations and do not find it complicated. Why would they let go of something that only requires their signature?

So the next morning, we went through the formalities.

Given Lin Jianlu's excellent personal credit and the high earning potential of a famous superstar, the HK$1.18 million for the villa will be fully paid by HSBC and simultaneously converted into another Thai baht loan under Lin Jianlu's personal name. Lin Jianlu will only need to pay the taxes and fees in the relevant procedures.

However, given his previous experience of spending tens of millions of dollars to buy a house in Taiwan and being exempted from more than 90% of his personal income tax in Taiwan during the tax season in the first half of this year, he doesn't even need a professional accountant. With a little mental calculation, he can basically estimate that he can get a very high tax exemption for his income in Hong Kong this year—he can probably pay more than 40 million Hong Kong dollars less in taxes!
Simply put, given his high income, spending a large portion of his annual earnings locally and purchasing real estate as much as possible would result in substantial tax breaks, essentially giving him a 30% discount. While signing the papers, Lin Jianlu couldn't help but think that New York real estate wasn't actually that expensive. Considering that "21" sold well, he might earn tens of millions, or even twenty or thirty million dollars, in America this year. So, well, it was something to consider.

Get it done.

Purchased a luxury mansion in Mid-Levels worth over HK$100 million.

I don’t know what the price will be in 20 or 30 years, but in the current Hong Kong property market, ordinary residential houses, that is, high-rise residential buildings, are roughly 30,000 to 40,000 Hong Kong dollars per square meter, ranging from 70,000 to 80,000 Hong Kong dollars per square meter, depending on the location, density and developer brand. In 20 or 30 years, it should start at 200,000 Hong Kong dollars per square meter.
The price has increased by about three to five times.

So, even though it's certainly not as convenient to trade as a small house and has much lower liquidity, a luxury detached house like this in the Mid-Levels should still be worth about three times what it is today, depending on the market!
Considering the current situation, the wealthier people are selling off their properties, causing a sharp drop in luxury home prices. On the other hand, ordinary Hong Kong citizens have nowhere to escape and no way out. Therefore, although the prices of ordinary residential properties have declined, they have remained relatively stable. So, in twenty years... well, they will probably be worth more than HK$500 million!
Very cool.

This time, security checks were taken seriously, so they shouldn't be photographed. After completing all the formalities, Lin Jianlu took her two lovers to the mansion that now belonged to her family.

Let alone Leung Wing-ki, who has only been in the industry for a little over a year, even a veteran like Brigitte Lin, who has played leading roles for many years and has a net worth of ten or twenty million or thirty or forty million, could never afford a mansion of this level. When they saw it, they could clearly see how much they liked it. If they actually bought it now, they would be qualified to move in as the lady of the house, or at least have a room of their own, which would make them extremely happy.

The two even kissed each other on the spot.

His excitement, joy, and elation were completely undisguised.

Marrying a wealthy businessman and living in a mansion is the lifelong dream of the vast majority of female celebrities in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

…………

I've arranged to have drinks with Andy Lau and Rosamund Kwan tonight.

This time, it wasn't Rosamund Kwan who made the invitation; instead, it was Andy Lau who took the initiative to call and make the invitation.

When Lin Jianlu answered the phone to arrange a time and place, Wang Fei was right next to her, looking at her new song. Suddenly, she offered to go drinking too. After hanging up, Lin Jianlu said with a hint of disdain, "Lady, don't mess around. Your man isn't here, and I'm not the type to easily become the subject of rumors..."

Wang Fei has the typical personality of a girl from the capital: "Me and you? Give me a break! You wouldn't even look at Rosamund Kwan! Even the dumbest media knows I just had my daughter, this isn't the time to cheat!"

Lin Jianlu immediately retorted, "You don't know anything! This is when people are most likely to cheat!"

She paused for a moment, then said "Hi," and lowered her head, remaining silent. The joy she had felt upon receiving the two songs seemed to vanish instantly.

Lin Jianlu was stunned for a moment, "Holy crap! You two wouldn't be..."

She looked somewhat dejected, then suddenly took out a cigarette, lit one, and waved the pack at Lin Jianlu. When Lin Jianlu waved his hand, she put it away, took a couple of puffs, exhaled a long plume of smoke, and suddenly spoke up, "Can you believe it? I was breastfeeding my baby in the bedroom, and he was having sex with me in the living room!"

Lin Jianlu was surprised.

She took another drag of her cigarette, then exhaled sharply, "Fuck them!"

Lin Jianlu felt he wasn't qualified to comment on such matters—he even had two on one bed!
Well, of course, so far only one pair has succeeded, because those two were the most obedient.

She took another puff, then stubbed out her cigarette and waved the few pages of sheet music in her hand. "Thanks! Thank you so much! When you have some free time, I'll ask you to give me some pointers and help me finish it, especially this song 'Red Bean,' it's really well-written, I'll make it the title track of my next album!"

After saying that, she picked up her bag, stood up, and turned back before leaving. "I don't want to trouble you, so I won't go tonight. Please apologize to Andy Lau and the others for me. I'm leaving!"

She has a free and easy personality and can leave whenever she wants.

Lin Jianlu opened his mouth, wanting to say something to persuade him, but after hesitating a few times, he swallowed his words back.

What's the point of trying to persuade me? It's not appropriate!

After she left, he took out his phone, flipped through his notebook, found Dou Wei's phone number, dialed the number, and his finger was already on the dial button when he simply canceled it—there was nothing to say, and no good advice to give.

The relationship between those people was based on mutual consent from the beginning, so why should an outsider like myself interfere in such a purely family matter?

Go to hell! Pretend you don't know!
…………

I was going to meet Andy Lau and Rosamund Kwan in the evening, but before I left, Ge Fuhong called to say that the Hong Kong evening paper had just come out today and was already reporting that "Baby" had reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

She actually received a call in the afternoon. It was probably a last-minute idea from the TV station after they received the news. They asked if Lin Jianlu would be willing to appear on a live program. They planned to invite Luo Dayou, Huang Zhan, and Zhang Guorong to be his guest hosts and chat together for an episode.

After all, well, that's a fucking bulletin board!
A Chinese singer's English album actually made it to the Billboard charts in America, and even reached number six in its first week of release. If no one paid attention, that would be fine, but if anyone did, it would be huge news!
Lin Jianlu refused, saying he wouldn't go.

Only sixth place, no fun.

So we drank that night.

In the past, whenever Liang Yongqi heard that Lin Jianlu had made plans to drink or play cards with someone, she would immediately come over and whine and beg to go along—mostly to keep an eye on her. She was very wary of Guan Zhilin, even more so than she was wary of the "old woman" Lin Qingxia in her heart.

But this time, she found out about it at noon and didn't say a word.

When they arrived at the agreed-upon location, Andy Lau was immediately excited upon meeting her, exclaiming, "Wow, you're on Billboard!"

Lin Jianlu pressed down with both hands, putting on a show of arrogance, "Calm down! Calm down! It's just the beginning!"

Andy Lau laughed heartily, while Rosamund Kwan looked completely infatuated.

Drinking and chatting.

The topics are varied.

From the exorbitant prices of villas in the Mid-Levels, to the recent drop in Hong Kong property prices, to the anxieties of these entertainment stars regarding the upcoming return to the mainland, to why Lin Jianlu can disregard his fans' dissatisfaction with his frequent scandals, all the way to Lin Jianlu's new album.

"Wow, of course I admire you! You're amazing! I've also released English songs and albums, but I can't do them well at all. They don't sell, they really don't sell! I've been listening to them for the past few days, and wow, I never even dared to dream of what your album is like! None of my songwriters and musicians could produce something like this!"

"Wow, you're getting B+ promotional resources! That's amazing! Making it onto the Billboard charts in the first week is already incredible, but you actually got sixth place! Seriously, you might become a huge star!"

A load of rubbish.

Andy Lau is considered one of the faces of the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Over the years, he has had virtually no negative reputation among the entertainment industry, his fans, and his followers. Even if a movie is a bad one, people don't blame him anymore. However, in reality, Andy Lau himself has a lot of troubles.

Putting everything else aside, at least one thing is certain: he is very poor right now.

His girlfriend is the daughter of a wealthy man from a Southeast Asian country. Well, as long as she doesn't want to marry into his family, which he certainly doesn't want to do, then he'll have to spend money.

His girlfriend is managing his investments; all his savings from the past few years have been poured into them.

Real estate, stocks, and so on.

What the outside world could never know was that his girlfriend orchestrated a joint venture between the two of them to secretly acquire a piece of land in Bangkok, investing over 400 million Hong Kong dollars, or 60 million US dollars!
It's said that they're planning a resort project.

Moreover, it is said that this project is highly regarded.

Emmmmm...

The four Southeast Asian Tigers have indeed developed very impressively in recent years. So, logically speaking, from the perspective of an ordinary person who cannot clearly foresee future world changes, or even a typical wealthy person, this investment is not problematic. This is because among the four Tigers, Thailand has been particularly successful.

Bangkok is also a world-renowned tourist destination.

However, Lin Jianlu was startled when she first heard it, and speechless when she heard it again.

However, the other party was clearly very confident, and Lin Jianlu knew that it was impossible for her to offer any advice. On the other hand, the Southeast Asian financial crisis had indeed taken a heavy toll on Thailand, and it would take many years to recover. But speaking of tourism alone, with the rise of China's economy and the increase in wealthy people, it didn't seem like it was impossible to run a resort there with peace of mind.

If we keep working hard, there will surely be a day when the flowers bloom and the moon shines brightly!

So, there's no need to persuade her.

In reality, Andy Lau's complaints about being poor were just a way of lamenting that all the wealth he had accumulated over the years had been poured into his career, making him "poor"—it was more like a show-off.

Give him his blessing. Listen attentively to his complaints and offer words of encouragement from time to time.

Hey, it works well.

Even the smartest person needs this kind of emotional value.

They chatted until 9:30, then the party ended. Andy Lau's assistant came to pick him up. He had drunk a little too much and was helped away. Lin Jianlu asked Rosamund Kwan how she got there and offered to take her home first. But Rosamund Kwan hugged his waist from behind and wouldn't let go. Lin Jianlu laughed, "Stop it! We're all so familiar with each other, I'm already too embarrassed to make a move on you! How awkward!" She laughed twice, but then hugged him tighter and tighter.

Then he crawled his head under Lin Jianlu's armpit and said, "Actually, I don't really want to date you anymore. Although I like you more and more, and I'm a little infatuated, I just feel that we're so familiar with each other now, and we can talk about anything, which is already quite comfortable! But living alone is so boring! How about we all have sex?"

Lin Jianlu chuckled again, "You'll get addicted to me, so you should find someone else!"

She pouted and acted coquettishly. Having been a mistress for so many years, she wasn't afraid of anything. Anyway, Andy Lau had already left, leaving only the two of them in the private room. She simply lowered her arm around Lin Jianlu's waist and grabbed him. "Wow, he's huge! I can't take it anymore, I'm even more interested now!"

***
I won't break up this long chapter of ten thousand words.

Remember to turn the page after reading this chapter, there's an extra chapter for today because of the Alliance Leader!

(End of this chapter)